Sheet material guide

ABSTRACT

A sheet material guide ( 1 ) for guiding banknotes as a sheet material to a banknote processor used for service machines such as an automatic vending machine, an exchanging machine, pachinko ball dispensing machine and a medal dispensing machine, wherein a banknote conveying path width changing device ( 21 ) comprises and arm ( 22 ) disposed in the banknote conveying direction and having both ends thereof rotatable supported on the side of an upper chute ( 8 ) and a guide rotor ( 27 ) rotatably supported at an intermediate portion ( 22   c ) of the arm ( 22 ) in the banknote conveying direction of the arm ( 22 ) and having a plurality of sheet plates ( 23 ) having mutually different widths and radially disposed in the banknote conveying direction, and when one of the sheet plates ( 23 ) of the guide rotor ( 27 ) is disposed between the upper and lower chutes ( 8, 2 ), the side ( 23   b ) of the sheet plate ( 23 ) defines the side surface of a banknote conveying path ( 12 ), thereby changing the width of the banknote conveying path in multiple stages by a simply operation.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a sheet material guide for guidingsheets of different width, and more particularly, to an improved sheetguide for guiding a banknote, into a banknote processing apparatus foruse in a service machine such as a vending machine, a money changingmachine, a pinball dispenser or a token dispenser.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a banknote processing apparatus for determining theauthenticity of a banknote, inserted therein and accepting a genuineone, is installed in a service machine such as a vending machine, amoney changing machine, a pinball dispenser or a token dispenser, and asheet guide forms a portion of this banknote processing apparatus.

Furthermore, as an example of an application of this kind of sheetguide, in addition to the apparatus for guiding a banknote describedabove, there is also an apparatus for guiding a card, into a cardprocessing apparatus which guides an inserted card along a cardpassageway, and during which time, reads and writes information onvarious storage areas formed on the card.

Meanwhile, this kind of sheet guide ordinarily comprises a banknoteconveying path provided inside a main body, and a banknote conveyingpath width varying means for changing the width of the banknoteconveying path in a plurality of stages.

The banknote conveying path width varying means, as disclosed inUnexamined Japanese patent publication Kokai No. 9-16826, for example,comprises a mating groove, which is formed parallel to the banknoteconveying path in the side of the banknote conveying path, and matingmembers, which are formed parallel to banknote conveying path, and whichmate to the mating groove in a freely detachable manner. By attachingdifferent shaped mating members to the mating groove, it is possible tochange the width of the banknote conveying path.

With the sheet guide of the aforementioned type, by providing aplurality of mating members, the shapes of which differ in accordancewith the width of a sheet, selecting the one mating member among thosethat correspond to the width of the sheet to be conveyed, and mating itto the mating groove, it is possible to change the width of the banknoteconveying path so that it corresponds to the width of the sheet, withoutreplacing the entire sheet guide.

In particular, when a sheet guide is utilized in a banknote processingapparatus, it is possible to change the width of the banknote conveyingpath so that it corresponds to the different widths of paper currencyfrom countries around the world, without replacing the entire sheetguide.

However, in accordance with the conventional sheet guide describedabove, the banknote conveying path width varying means comprises amating groove, which is formed in the side of the banknote conveyingpath, and mating members, which mate to the mating groove in a freelydetachable manner. When changing the width of the banknote conveyingpath, it is necessary to perform the work, first, of preparing a newmating member with a shape that corresponds to the width of the sheet,next, of removing the mating member that is attached to the matinggroove, and then, of attaching the new mating member to the sheetmaterial guide. Consequently, the job of changing the width of thebanknote conveying path has the drawback of being complicated andtroublesome.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheetguide, which does not have the drawback of conventional sheet guide suchas above, and which is capable of changing the width of a banknoteconveying path using a simple operation in a plurality of stages.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a sheet guide having a banknote conveying path,upper and lower surfaces thereof being formed by a lower chute and anupper chute; a banknote insertion opening, which communicates with thebanknote conveying path; and banknote conveying path width varying meansprovided on the side of at least one of the upper and lower chutes, forchanging width of the banknote conveying path in a plurality of stages,characterized in that the banknote conveying path width varying meanscomprises an arm provided parallel to a direction of travel of a sheet,both ends thereof being supported in a freely rotatable manner at a sideportion of the shoot; and a guide rotor supported in a freely rotatablemanner by an intermediate portion of the arm, the intermediate portionparalleling the direction of travel of the sheet, and formed with aplurality of sheet plates provided radially and having differing widthsthat parallel the direction of travel of the sheet, wherein when one ofthe plurality of sheet plates of the guide rotor is provided between theupper and lower chutes, sides of the sheet plate form sides of thebanknote conveying path.

The sheet guide configured in the above manner enables the width of thebanknote conveying path to be changed in a plurality of stages by thesimple operation of selecting one of the plurality of sheet plates thatconstitute the guide rotor, which in turn simplifies the job of changingthe width of the banknote conveying path in a vending machine, a moneychanging machine, a pinball dispenser a medal dispenser, or otherservice machine that makes use of the sheet guide of the presentinvention, thus enabling the efficiency of maintenance, inspection andother work to be further enhanced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective partially cutaway view of essentialportion of a sheet guide of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing the banknote conveying pathwidth varying means in normal operation;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the operation of thebanknote conveying path width varying means in which the banknoteinsertion opening is opened by rotating the upper chute upward about ashaft;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the operation of thebanknote conveying path width varying means in which the arm is rotatedoutward about the ends thereof; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view showing banknote conveying path widthvarying means after the width of the banknote conveying path has beenchanged.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is explained in more detail by reference to theattached drawings.

A sheet guide employed in a banknote processing apparatus is explainedbelow as an embodiment of a sheet guide according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective partially cutaway view of essentialportion of a sheet guide 1 of the present invention.

The sheet guide 1 of this invention comprises a lower chute 2 whichcomprises a housing 3 which is U-shaped in cross-section, an upper chute8 which is rectangular in cross-section and is supported by the lowerchute 2 in a freely rotatable manner, a banknote conveying path 12 whoselower and upper surfaces are defined by the lower chute 2 and upperchute 8, a banknote insertion opening 13 which communicates with theupstream portion of the banknote conveying path 12, banknote conveyingpath width changing means 21 which are provided on both sides of theupper chute 8 and change the width of the banknote conveying path 12 ina plurality of stages, and as shown in FIG. 3 which depicts the upperchute 8 in open state, identifying means 15 which is provided in thebanknote conveying path 12 and comprises a photosensor 14 for judgingthe authenticity of the banknote, and conveying means 16 which comprisesa conveyor roller 17 and conveys a banknote inserted via the banknoteinsertion opening 13 along the banknote conveying path 12 to thedownstream portion thereof.

Incidentally, a banknote determined to be genuine by the identifyingmeans 15 of the sheet guide 1 is stored in a stacker not shown in thefigure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 3 of the lower chute 2 is formed with aninsertion groove 4, into which the upper chute 8 is inserted and issupported in a freely rotatable manner by a shaft 10 which is insertedinto both sides of a groove 4 a which is formed in a downstream portionof the banknote conveying path 12.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plate member 5, which is in a rectangularshape in cross-section and the width of which is narrower than the widthof the insertion groove 4, is mounted parallel to the banknote conveyingpath 12 on the upper surface of the insertion groove 4 of the housing 3.The plate member 5 has an upper surface 5 a which forms the lowersurface of the banknote conveying path 12, and two sides 5 b which form,together with the side walls of the insertion groove 4, housing grooves6 in which respective banknote conveying path width changing means 21are housed.

The banknote conveying path width changing means 21 comprises a pair ofarms 22, which are L-shaped viewed from the front and U-shaped viewedfrom the top and are provided in parallel to the direction of travel ofthe banknote and which are supported in a freely rotatable manner at thesides of the upper chute 8; and a guide rotor 27, which is supported ina freely rotatable manner by an intermediate portion 22 c of these pairof arms 22, paralleling the direction of travel of the banknote, andwhich comprises 4 radially extended sheet plates 23 of different widthsrunning parallel to the direction of travel of the banknote.

In the banknote conveying path width changing means 21, as shown in FIG.1, one of the sheet plates 23 constituting the guide rotor 27 makescontact with the upper surface 5 a of the plate member 5, and one of theother sheet plates 23, which forms a right angle with the sheet plate 23that contacts with the upper surface 5 makes contact with the side 5 bof the plate member 5.

The upper chute 8 has a front face 8 a and two sides 8 c. The front face8 a supports one end 22 a of the arms 22 on both sides. In the two sides8 c, notches 8 b, which support the other end 22 b of the arms 22, arerespectively formed in the downstream portion of the banknote conveyingpath 12. The two sides 8 c of the upper chute 8 are inserted into theinsertion groove 4 of the lower chute 2 as depicted in FIG. 1.

The upper chute 8 is supported and positioned with a prescribed spacebetween the upper and lower chutes by latch means (not shown) which isdisposed therebetween as depicted in FIG. 1, as a result of which theupper surface of the banknote conveying path 12 is formed by a lowersurface 8 d of the upper chute 8. Furthermore, between the upper chute 8and the lower chute 2 are disposed positioning means (not shown), whichsupports the upper chute 8, when it rotates upward around the shaft 10to a prescribed angle.

Next, the structure of banknote conveying path width changing means 21,which are provided, respectively, on both the right and left sides ofthe upper chute 8, are explained in detail. Since these banknoteconveying path width changing means 21 feature the same structure, theexplanation focuses only on the banknote conveying path width changingmeans 21 provided on the right side of the upper chute 8.

The banknote conveying path width changing means 21 comprises a pair ofarms 22 provided parallel to the direction of travel of the banknote andare supported in a freely rotatable manner by the right side of theupper chute 8, and a guide rotor 27 supported in a freely rotatablemanner by an intermediate portion 22 c of the pair of arms 22,paralleling the direction of travel of the banknote and formed fromafter sheet plates 23 radially provided, having different widths andrunning parallel to the direction of travel of the banknote.

Of these elements, the arm 22 is formed from one end 22 a, which issupported by the right side of the front face 8 a of the upper chute 8,from another end 22 b, which is supported by a notch 8 b in the rightside of the upper chute 8, and from an intermediate portion 22 c, whichis formed parallel to the direction of travel of the banknote, and whichsupports in a freely rotatable manner the guide rotor 27, and isattached in a freely detachable manner to the upper chute 8 by the oneend 22 a and the other end 22 b thereof.

Further, as for the guide rotor 27, the four sheet plates 23 areintegrated together, each sheet plate 23 forms the same angle with theother, that is, a 90 degree angle, and the thickness of each sheet plate23 is the same.

These four sheet plates 23 are formed with inclined surfaces 23 a on thesides 23 b of the sheet plates 23, so that the respective widths thereofbecome narrower towards the banknote insertion opening 13.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the banknote conveying path width varying means21 is provided inside the housing groove 6 so that one of the four sheetplates 23 of the guide rotor 27 makes contact with the upper and lowershoots 8, 2. Further, the respective sides of the banknote conveyingpath 12 are formed by the sides 23 b of the sheet plates 23 locatedbetween the upper and lower chutes 8, 2.

The thickness of the sheet plate 23 that is making contact with theupper and lower chutes 8, 2 constitutes the height of the banknoteconveying path 12.

The conveying means 16 shown in FIG. 3 comprises a conveyor roller 17,which is supported in a freely rotatable manner by the plate member 5,and which has a portion of its contact surface exposed in the banknoteconveying path 12, a not-shown insertion sensor, which detects whetheror not a banknote has been inserted into the banknote insertion opening13, a not-shown drive motor, which drives the conveyor roller 17 on thebasis of the detection of this insertion sensor, and an idle roller 18,which is supported in a freely rotatable manner by the upper chute 8,and which has a portion of its contact surface exposed in the banknoteconveying path 12. The idle roller 18 functions as a driven roller,which rotates in the opposite direction of the conveyor roller 17.

In accordance with the sheet guide 1 such as this, when a banknote isinserted into the banknote insertion opening 13, and this is detected bythe insertion sensor, the drive motor of the conveying means 16operates, and drives the conveyor roller 17 so that it rotates.

By driving and rotating the conveyor roller 17, the inserted banknote issandwiched between the conveyor roller 17 and idle roller 18 of theconveying means 16, and is conveyed downstream parallel to the banknoteconveying path 12. Following that, the authenticity of the banknote isdetermined by the identifying means 15, and when it is determined to bea counterfeit, the drive motor operates in reverse, rotating theconveyor roller 17 in the opposite direction, and returning the insertedbanknote, which was determined to be a counterfeit, back through thebanknote insertion opening 13.

When the inserted banknote is determined to be a genuine one by thebanknote identifying means 15, since the rotation of the conveyor roller17 is maintained in the clockwise direction on the basis of thedetection signal thereof, the banknote is conveyed further downstream inthe banknote conveying path 12, and accommodated inside a stacker.

With the sheet guide 1, because the 4 sheet plates 23, which constitutethe guide rotor 27 of the banknote conveying path width changing means21, are formed with inclined surfaces 23 a so that the respective widthsthereof become narrower towards the banknote insertion opening 13, asshown in FIG. 1, which depicts the initial position, the width of thebanknote conveying path 12 becomes wider towards the banknote insertionopening 13, enabling banknote inserted through the banknote insertionopening 13 to be readily guided into the banknote conveying path 12.

Further, with the sheet guide 1, because the guide rotor 27 of thebanknote conveying path width changing means 21 is formed by integratingtogether the four sheet plates 23, which form 90 degree angles with oneanother, in the initial position shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface 5 athe plate member 5 can make contact with one of the sheet plates 23 ofthe guide rotor 27, and both sides 5 b can make contact with one of theother sheet plates 23, which forms a right angle with the sheet plate23. Furthermore, when a sheet plate 23 is positioned between the upperand lower chutes 8, 2, because it makes contact with and is sandwichedbetween the upper and lower chutes 8, 2, in the initial position shownin FIG. 1, the sheet plate 23 positioned between the upper and lowerchutes 8, 2, can rotate around the intermediate portion 22 c of the arm22, or can prevent movement in the direction of the width of thebanknote conveying path.

Therefore, the width of the banknote conveying path 12 is maintainedconstant, enabling the stable conveying of a banknote.

Next, the operation by which the width of the banknote conveying path 12is changed by the banknote conveying path width changing means 21 isexplained.

FIG. 2 through FIG. 5 are schematic views of a sheet guide 1, showinghow the banknote conveying path width changing means 21 changes thewidth of the banknote conveying path 12. Elements that are the same asthose in FIG. 1 are indicated using the same reference numerals.

In accordance with the banknote conveying path width changing means 21of the above-described sheet guide 1, when the banknote conveying pathwidth is to be changed, the latch means is released, as indicated byarrow A in FIG. 2, the upper chute 8 is pulled upward by rotation aboutthe shaft 10 shown in FIG. 1, opening the banknote insertion opening 13,as shown in FIG. 3. Open spaces are formed below and on the sides of theupper chute 8 at this time and, it is possible to use these spaces tooperate the banknote conveying path width changing means 21 so as tochange the width of the banknote conveying path 12.

That is, the entire arm supporting the sheet plate 23 is rotated towardthe outside of the upper chute 8, with one end 22 a of the arm 22 andthe other end 22 b, which is shown in FIG. 1 acting, as the pivots, asindicated by arrow B in FIG. 3.

Next, as indicated by arrow C in FIG. 4, at the position, where thesheet plate 23 stops, the 4 sheet plates 23 are rotated around theintermediate portion 22 c of the arm 22 until another, different widthsheet plate 23 is reached.

Then, once the other, different width sheet plate 23 has reached theabove-described position, the entire arm supporting the sheet plate 23is rotated toward the inside of the upper chute 8, having the one end 22a of the arm 22 and the other end 22 b, which is shown in FIG. 1, as thepivot, until the intermediate portion 22 c of the arm 22 is horizontalto the banknote conveying path 12.

Following this, the upper chute 8 is moved downward by rotating itaround the shaft 10, and the latch means is mated, enabling the banknoteconveying path width to be changed, as shown in FIG. 5.

Furthermore, by utilizing the space formed below the upper chute 8, itis possible to replace the conveying means 16 and clean the identifyingmeans 15 shown in FIG. 3.

In this way, with the banknote processing apparatus 1 of this invention,the banknote conveying path width changing means 21 comprises arm 22,which is provided parallel to the direction of travel of the banknote,and both ends 22 a, 22 b of which are supported in a freely rotatablemanner by the side of the upper chute 8, and a guide rotor 27, which issupported in a freely rotatable manner by the intermediate portion 22 cof the arm 22, paralleling the direction of travel of the banknote, andwhich is formed from four sheet plates 23 radially provided and havingdifferent widths and running parallel to the direction of travel of thebanknote. When one of the plurality of sheet plates 23 of the guideroller 27 is provided between the upper and lower chutes 8, 2, becausethe side 23 b of the sheet plate 23 serves to form the side of thebanknote conveying path 12, it is possible to change the banknoteconveying path width of the sheet guide 1 using a simple operation,without having to perform the complicated job of preparing and insertinga mating member with a shape corresponding to the width of the banknoteto be conveyed as in the past when changing the banknote conveying pathwidth of the sheet guide 1.

Furthermore, with the banknote processing apparatus 1, because abanknote conveying path width changing means 21 is provided on the rightside and the left side of the upper chute 8, respectively, and becausethe banknote conveying path width changing means 21 each constitute aguide rotor 27 comprising four sheet plates 23, it is possible to selectfrom among the four sheet plates 23 constituting each guide rotor 27,respectively, a right and left sheet plate 23 to be provided between theupper and lower chutes 8, 2. This enables the width of the banknoteconveying path to be changed to several types.

Therefore, if right and left sheet plates 23 that accord with the billwidth of a banknote are respectively selected, and provided between theupper chute 8 and the lower chute 2, it is possible to provide abanknote conveying path 12, which has a banknote conveying path widththat accords with the bill width of the banknote.

That is, in accordance with the sheet guide 1, it is possible to easilychange to a banknote conveying path width, which corresponds to thedifferent widths of banknotes various countries around the globe, byusing only members provided inside the apparatus.

Further, with the sheet guide 1 of this embodiment, the upper chute 8 issupported by a shaft 10 in a freely rotatable manner relative to thelower chute 2, and when the upper chute 8 rotates via the shaft 10 to aprescribed angle relative to the lower chute 2, because it provides anot-shown positioning means, which maintains this state, the open spaceof the banknote conveying path width changing means 21, which is formedbelow and on the sides of the upper shoot 8, can be easily maintained,enabling the arm 22 and sheet plate 23 to be rotated more easily.

Furthermore, with the sheet guide 1 of this embodiment, banknoteconveying path width changing means 21, which change in a plurality ofstages the width of the banknote conveying path, are provided on bothsides of the upper chute 8, but the present invention is not limited tothis, and the sheet guide 1 can provide a banknote conveying path widthchanging means 21 to one side of at least one chute from among the upperand lower chutes 8, 2. For example, a single banknote conveying pathwidth changing means 21, which corresponds to the widths of a banknote,can be provided on the right side of the lower chute 2.

Further, with the sheet guide 1 of this embodiment, banknote conveyingpath width changing means 21 with the same structure are provided on theright side and left side of the upper chute 8, but the present inventionis not limited to this, and the right side banknote conveying path widthchanging means 21 and the left side banknote conveying path widthchanging means 21 can be constructed so that the sheet plates 23 of theguide rotors 27 thereof have widths that differ from one another.

Further, with the sheet guide 1 of this embodiment, banknote conveyingpath width changing means 21 constitute four sheet plates 23, which havedifferent widths, but the present invention is not limited to this, andit can be constructed from a plurality of sheet plates 23, which havedifferent widths. For example, the present invention can also constitutetwo sheet plates.

Furthermore, with the sheet material guide 1 of this embodiment, becausebanknote conveying path width changing means 21, which comprise an arm22, are attached in a freely detachable manner to the upper chute 8,banknote conveying path width changing means 21 can readily be changedto banknote conveying path width changing means 21, for which the sheetplates 23 of the guide rotor 27 thereof have widths that differ from oneanother, and banknote conveying path width changing means 21 comprisingfour sheet plates 23 can be easily changed to banknote conveying pathwidth changing means 21 comprising two sheet plates 23.

Further, with the sheet guide 1 of this embodiment, an inclined surface23 a, which increases the width of the banknote conveying path 12 towardthe banknote insertion opening 13, is formed on each of the four sheetplates 23, but the present invention is not limited to this, and, forexample, it can also constitute sheet plates, for which the inclinedsurface 23 a is not formed.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, a sheet guide according to the present invention isuseful as a guide, which guides a banknote into a banknote processingapparatus, which is utilized in such service equipment as a vendingmachine, a money changing machine, a pinball dispenser on a medaldispenser, and more particularly, is well suited for use as a sheetguide, which is capable of easily changing the banknote conveying pathwidth in accordance with banknotes from various countries around theworld, the widths of which differ.

What is claimed is:
 1. A sheet guide having a sheet conveying path (12),upper and lower surfaces thereof being formed by a lower chute (2) andan upper chute (8); a sheet insertion opening (13) which communicateswith the sheet conveying path (12); and a sheet conveying path widthvarying means (21) disposed on a side of at least one of the upper andlower chutes (8 or 2), for changing a width of the sheet conveying path(12) in a plurality of stages, characterized in that the sheet conveyingpath width varying means comprises: an arm (22) disposed parallel to adirection of travel of a sheet, both ends thereof (22 a, 22 b) beingsupported in a freely rotatable manner at a side portion of one of thechutes (8 or 2); and a guide rotor (27) supported in a freely rotatablemanner by an intermediate portion (22 c) of the arm (22), theintermediate portion (22 c) paralleling the direction of travel of thesheet, and formed with a plurality of sheet plates (23) radiallydisposed with differing widths that parallel the direction of travel ofthe sheet, wherein when one of the plurality of sheet plates (23) of theguide rotor (27) is disposed between the upper and lower chutes (8, 2),a side edge (23 b) of the sheet plate (23) forms a side of the sheetconveying path (12).
 2. The sheet guide according to claim 1, whereineach of the plurality of sheet plates (23) of the guide rotor (27) areformed with inclined surfaces (23 a) on the side edges(23 b) thereof,which increases a width of the sheet conveying path (12) towards thesheet material insertion opening (13).
 3. The sheet guide according toclaim 1, wherein the upper chute (8) is supported by the lower chute (2)in a freely rotatable manner at a downstream portion of the sheetconveying path (12).
 4. The sheet guide according to claim 1, whereinthe guide rotor (27) comprises four sheet plates (23).
 5. The sheetguide according to claim 1, wherein the sheet conveying path widthvarying means (21) are disposed on both sides of one of the chutes (8 or2).
 6. The sheet guide according to claim 5, wherein the sheet conveyingpath width varying means (21) both have the same structure.
 7. The sheetguide according to claim 5, wherein the sheet plates (23) of the sheetconveying path width varying means (21) disposed on one side have awidth differing from a width of the sheet plates (23) disposed on asecond side of one of the chutes (8 or 2).